1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector with an aligning plate which supports male terminals and thereby positions them at prescribed positions and protects them.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, a technique relating to a connector for electrical connection is known which is disclosed in JP-A-2009-187865.
The connector disclosed in JP-A-2009-187865 includes a male connector which is provided for terminals of one bundle of cables and a female connector which is provided for terminals of the other bundle of cables. The female connector includes a female connector housing having a hood and a male terminal housing portion and a number of male terminals housed in the female connector housing. Where the number of male terminals are large, the female connector is further equipped with an aligning plate. The aligning plate is provided to position and protect male electric contact portions (male tabs) of the male terminals that project into the hood of the female connector housing in a state that the male connector is not fitted in the female connector. The aligning plate is attached to provisional locking arms in a provisional locking manner. The provisional locking arms are provided inside the hood.
FIGS. 7 to 12 show another example connector 100 devised by employing the technique disclosed in JP-A-2009-187865. The connector 100 includes a connector housing 101 having a hood 103 and a male terminal housing portion 104, a number of male terminals (not shown) housed in the connector housing 101, and an aligning plate 102 for positioning and protecting male electric contact portions of the male terminals that project into the hood 103 of the connector housing 101.
As illustrated in FIG. 11, a pair of inner wall surfaces 105 and 106 extending in the shorter-axis direction of the connector housing 101 among the inner wall surfaces of the hood 103 of the connector housing 101 are formed with provisional locking arms 107 which allow the aligning plate 102 to be attached so as to be placed at a provisional locking position. The provisional locking arms 107 have respective engagement projections 109 which project to the inside of the connector housing 101 from their tips and are engaged with respective provisional locking portions 108 of the aligning plate 102.
Now, a description will be made of work of provisionally locking the aligning plate 102 inside the connector housing 101. First, the aligning plate 102 is moved in the direction indicated by arrow P in FIG. 7 and thereby inserted into the hood 103 of the connector housing 101. Then the aligning plate 102 is further inserted deep into the hood 103 (i.e., toward the male terminal housing portion 104), whereby as illustrated in FIG. 11 the provisional locking arms 107 are engaged with the provisional locking portions 108 of the aligning plate 102 when the aligning plate 102 has reached an approximately middle position of the inside space of the hood 103.
Since as described above the aligning plate 102 is provisionally locked on the provisional locking arms 107, the male electric contact portions of the male terminals that project into the hood 103 of the connector housing 101 can be positioned and protected in a state that a counterpart connector (not shown) is not fitted in the connector 100.
In the connector 100 illustrated in FIGS. 7-12, if a handling person pushes the aligning plate 102 in the direction indicated by arrow T in FIG. 10 with, for example, his or her finger in a state that the aligning plate 102 is provisionally locked on the connector housing 101, the aligning plate 102 is warped in the insertion direction (indicated by arrow T in FIG. 10) of the counterpart connector as indicated by imaginary lines in FIG. 10. At the same time, as indicated in FIG. 11, both end portions, in its longitudinal direction, of the aligning plate 102 rotate in the directions indicated by arrow U in FIG. 11 with the tips of the engagement projections 109 of the provisional locking arms 107 as rotation axes. As a result, the engagement widths (margins) of the provisional locking portions 108 of the aligning plate 102 and the engagement projections 109 of the provisional locking arms 107 are shortened.
If the aligning plate 102 is pushed further in the insertion direction of the counterpart connector, both end portions of the aligning plate 102 rotate further in the directions indicated by arrow U in FIG. 12 with the tips of the engagement projections 109 of the provisional locking arms 107 as rotation axes. As indicated by imaginary lines in FIG. 12, this results in a problem that the provisional locking portions 108 of the aligning plate 102 are disengaged from the engagement projections 109 of the provisional locking arms 107.
This problem means that the aligning plate 102 that has been disengaged from the provisional locking arms 107 may fall to the deep side of the connector housing 101.
Furthermore, when the aligning plate 102 has fallen to the deep side the connector housing 101, a problem arises that the aligning plate 102 can no longer protect the male terminals or position them at the prescribed positions.